The Winds of Winter: Everything We Know About the Next Game of Thrones Book

George R.R. Martin's The Winds of Winter, the sixth book in the highly anticipated A Song of Ice and Fire series, remains one of the most eagerly awaited works of fiction. Following the 2011 release of A Dance with Dragons (book five), its creation has spanned over a decade, a period encompassing the entire run of HBO's Game of Thrones (Seasons 2-8) and the first two seasons of its prequel, House of the Dragon.

While Martin continues his work, we've compiled a comprehensive overview of everything currently known about The Winds of Winter, encompassing his insights into its length, projected release timeline, storyline details, and key differences from the television adaptation.

**Jump to:**

• Release Date
• Book Length
• Story Details
• Book vs. TV Series

Winds of Winter Release Date

Unfortunately, there's no official release date or even a projected window for The Winds of Winter. Initial hopes, voiced by Martin and his publishers, centered on a late 2015 completion and a March 2016 release, timed to coincide with Game of Thrones Season 6. Subsequent optimistic predictions, including a late 2017 and a 2021 target, also proved inaccurate. Martin's most recent public estimate regarding the book's publication appears to be from 2020. In October 2022, he reported being approximately 75% complete with the manuscript. However, by November 2023, the reported page count remained at 1,100 pages—the same figure mentioned in December 2022 and December 2024. In a recent interview, Martin acknowledged the possibility that he may not complete The Winds of Winter within his lifetime.

Winds of Winter Length

The Winds of Winter is anticipated to be approximately 1,500 pages long. As of November 2023, Martin stated he had written roughly 1,100 pages, with "hundreds more pages to go." He has previously indicated that the final two books in the series will collectively exceed 3,000 pages. If the 1,500-page estimate holds true, it would surpass A Dance with Dragons as the longest book in the series.

Winds of Winter Story

(This section avoids spoilers beyond character names.)

The Winds of Winter will continue the narrative threads from A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons (books four and five), which featured parallel storylines. Martin has indicated that the book will begin with two significant battles: the conflict between Stannis Baratheon and Roose Bolton near Winterfell, and the battle in Meereen between Daenerys Targaryen and the slavers.

Daenerys Targaryen and Tyrion Lannister's paths will intersect, although they'll remain largely separated throughout much of the book. The Dothraki will have a substantial role, and significant events are expected at The Wall. Martin has also teased an "interesting take on unicorns." Overall, he's described the book as having a darker tone, with many characters facing challenging circumstances.

Winds of Winter Characters

As of 2016, Martin did not plan to introduce new point-of-view characters. Confirmed POV characters include: Tyrion Lannister, Cersei Lannister, Jaime Lannister (and/or Brienne of Tarth), Arya Stark, Sansa Stark, Bran Stark, Theon Greyjoy, Asha Greyjoy, Victarion Greyjoy, Aeron Greyjoy/Damphair, Barristan Selmy, Arianne Martell, Areo Hotah, and Jon Connington. Daenerys Targaryen is also highly likely to return as a POV character. Other potential POV characters include Davos Seaworth, Samwell Tarly, and Melisandre. Jeyne Westerling will appear in the prologue.

Winds of Winter: Book vs. TV Show

Due to the expanded scope of the books, The Winds of Winter will differ significantly from the Game of Thrones television series. Martin has explicitly stated that character fates will diverge, with some characters surviving in the books who died in the show, and vice versa. New characters will be introduced, and those absent from the show will play crucial roles. He highlighted the differences in character portrayals and the inclusion of POV characters exclusive to the books.

A Dream of Spring and Other Future Works

A Dream of Spring, the planned seventh and final book, is also expected to be lengthy. Martin has hinted at a bittersweet ending. Beyond A Song of Ice and Fire, he's working on a second volume of Targaryen history, additional Dunk and Egg novellas, and continues his involvement in various other projects.